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Making Art Work: Social Media and the Artist (Part One)

“Welcome to the Making Art Work Series! Through this accumulating and growing collection of resource articles, we hope to give insight and suggestions to artists in their journey to becoming their most successful creative selves!”

 

Part One: Strategies for Developing and Distributing Content

 

Social Media is an artist’s best friend in today’s modern age, whether it's getting the word out about your work or widening your audience for your next big piece. In a time where connection is a valued commodity, social media offers a multitude of solutions to help you invigorate your business and creative online presence. In this article, we are going to begin discussing the ways a creative can better fashion their online habits to benefit their artwork. 

 

Mastering your content:

Be sure that your work is share-ready. “Sharable” means taking sharp, catching photos in well-lit areas so your work can look its best. Make your brand (name, social media handle, etc) is clearly and prominently presented.

It is customary to share finished, completed pieces, or show a series of images that show your work from start to finish (timelapse videos are also a popular way of showing this process). As long as what you are posting is something you are excited or proud of, that will attract others!

 

Develop your delivery system

How you manage your social media is up to you, and there are many different ways to build up a presence. On platforms like Snapchat, Instagram, and Facebook you can utilize the “Stories” feature to upload announcements when you add a new post. Or, you can “go live” and document yourself working or talking with followers. These are all valid options to help interact with and build your online audience. You also do not always have to post the same thing across all platforms. Varying your content helps diversify your brand and allows viewers to be incentivized following you on your other forms of social media.

 

Finding your style

Successfully utilizing Social Media can rely on many different things, and can come from different sources. Are you an artist that likes to focus on your work? Or are you an artist that has a compelling and extroverted personality? You can curate your online presence to suit your preferences. You don’t have to do a weekly Q&A, and you can post your work when you complete it. Or, inversely, you can do as many hangouts a week to promote your latest big piece of the week you finished. It all boils down to your confidence, comfort, and consistency.

 

Keep Quality in mind

There is a new adage with online work: “If you post it online, it lasts forever.” Be sure to keep this in mind when you post. It isn’t to say that you can’t post sketches or notes, but it will help you in your decision making when considering what to post on your feeds. If the idea of your content translates well in its current state, be it finished work or concept sketch, that makes your content successful!

 

Timing your posts

Scheduling your posts can be the difference between a piece of art getting an immediate spotlight or not. Depending on what platform you use, your work may be seen by more people if you post during times when more of your audience is online (such as lunch breaks, after work, before bed, etc.) The generally suggested times for posting tend to be 8 am, 10 am, Noon, 2 pm, 4 pm, 6 pm and 8 pm, respectively.

 

Utilizing hashtags

When posting, be sure to use not only broad hashtags, but specific ones as well. Sometimes a hashtag with 100 posts has a dedicated and growing fanbase, where a generic hashtag with a million posts will be harder to stand out in. Sometimes hashtagging phrases, jokes or niche-specific words can be helpful in finding unique followers.

 

 

This will conclude part one of "Social Media and the Artist", and stay tuned for the next installment coming out in December! 

 

In the meantime, be sure to check out tips on how to authentically gift this hoiday season!